What's Good (Week of 6/28/26)
Happy 4th of July weekend. As you can see from the photo above, I'm taking the long weekend to get out of my house. Other than that, my thoughts on the holiday are as follows.
Anyway. As usual, I've got a lot of good music for you from this week, including:
New Albums
- 067Red
- mary in the junkyard
- serengeti
New Singles
- Dinosaur Jr.
- Ela Minus & Nick León
- Jorja Smith
- Rico Nasty
- Sankofa & August Fanon
If it's your first time in this neck of the woods and you like the vibe, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of the fun each week.
Playlists
YouTube
TIDAL
TIDAL: What's Good Playlist - Week of 6/28/26
Bonus Beats
Ryan Dombal
Beth Orton is the inaugural guest for the Hearing Things Questionnaire, digging into her life with a few questions.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you want to be?
A criminologist, because that’s where you can study Freud, Jung, attachment theory—all the psychoanalysis—in real terms. The psychology of people fascinates me, and they really get to study the cause and effect of your early years. Criminologists can study serial killers and psychopaths, but I’m not so interested in that. I’m more interested in human nature and what makes good people do bad things. It’s basically a way of studying psychotherapy, but I feel like, with criminology, you’d get to the bottom of people a little more interestingly.
What is the most radicalizing experience of your life?
Having children radicalized me. I was suddenly opened up to a world in which I was like, Hang on a minute, are you fucking kidding me? because of how the dad’s treated compared to the mom. Like if I go away, everyone’s like, “Oh, what can we do to help?” and if he goes away, everyone’s like... nothing. It’s tumbleweeds.
I also experienced profound judgment when I had children—suddenly there’s all these opinions on how you do it—and that was very painful for me. It wasn’t an easy radicalization, because there’s nowhere you can put it, because it permeates everything. It changed my life, and I couldn’t quite see anything the same again. It can be quite a radicalizing experience, and not always one you necessarily grow from in this really graceful way. But once I had children, I got much more aware of politics. I was such an ignoramus before, and then suddenly you’re like, This isn’t just my life, this is my children’s future. What the hell?
Natalie Weiner
Natalie Weiner took a look at the country charts in the wake of Ella Langley's hit "Choosin' Texas" for Don't Rock The Inbox and how much more (or not) parity there's been for women since. And if you want more Natalie and are in Dallas-Fort Worth, pull up on her at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library for a discussion on women's legacy within the history of country music as part of the Groove Guild for the Dallas Library. You can register to attend at the Dallas Library's website.
Wednesday's performance at KEXP in April is live, with a short set of tunes from the fantastic Bleeds.
From Mount Fuji to Cape Town, the Yussef Dayes Experience rolls on, accompanied by the Thanda Choir and Lizwi Choir.
FATHERS released a short film lounge performance of cuts from their upcoming self-titled LP, interspersed with interview questions from producer Kenneth Blume (fka Kenny Beats), live from Wonderland Park in Los Angeles.
Courtney Barnett brought the whole of Creature of Habit to the Levon Helm Studios for a live performance.
Paul Thompson
Ahead of next week's People Are Not Your Friends with steel tipped dove, Phiik and Lungs tapped in with Paul Thompson for POW MAG:
We’ve talked a lot about writing, but how did you two arrive at the vocal styles you have today?
Phiik: Oh man, that took a minute. We both used to sound a lot different. I’ll never forget, actually, the one tip that Lungs gave me early on was: Rap from your chest. That doesn’t sound like it’s all that complex, but it makes a huge difference. And hearing yourself over and over and over again—you instill a sense of confidence in yourself as you continue to do it. Because you can hear us both being less timid or just more full in our voices over time, really figuring out the way that we want to convey something.
Part of it is taking time to really decide what it is that you want to sound like. Because we both didn’t start rapping fast—but it’s not even fast. We weren’t putting a bunch of words in a line when we first started, if that makes sense. That whole development really, I think is what brought us to where we are.
Lungs: I just fucking watched Ip Man movies and I saw his punching style and then I was like, I could rap like that. Because it’s not fast. It’s relentless. He just punches motherfuckers like 10,000 times, you know what I’m saying? In the movies, they make it look like it’s punching fast, but it’s more so about not stopping. That’s what heads get confused: I don’t want to be Twista.
Music
Papo2oo4 & YL - Gave me love (From Triple Double, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
twogeebs & Action Figure 973 - Sef Interlude (From Album Title, out now. Purchase: CD via Bandcamp (DO NOT BUY THE DIGITAL HERE) | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Larry June - Organic Motion (Out now. Purchase: Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | Youtube Music)
Tricky - I'm Yours feat. Mitch Sanders (From Different When It's Silent, out on date. Preorder: Bandcamp | Physicals and digital via False Idols, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Ela Minus & Nick León - espiral (From qué les pasó a mis amigos?, out on 8/7/26. Preorder: Bandcamp | Vinyl via Smuggler's Way, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
The Difference Machine - Star Children feat. Gretzky Da Sumo (From Some of Us Never Die, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Physicals, digital, and merch via Full Plate | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Nate Mercereau - There's Something Here... (From Fantastic Thoughts, out on . Purchase: Bandcamp | Vinyl and digital via Leaving Records | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Dinosaur Jr. - Several Got Away (From There Near, out on 8/28/26. Preorder: Bandcamp | Physicals and merch via Secretly Store, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Yaya Bey - Simp Daddy Line Dance feat. Exaktly (From FIdelity, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Physicals and Digital via drinksumwater | Physicals via Secretly (better shipping rates for international customers) | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
mary in the junkyard - Blood (From Role Model Hermit, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Wiki - Something New feat. SALIMATA (From Ancient History, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Jorja Smith - Alive feat. Wizkid (From What Are The Odds, out on 8/21/26. Preorder: Physicals via Jorja's official store, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 5, 2024
067Red - IMPOSSIBLE A GUN CAN'T SHOOT ITSELF (From YOU CAN'T JUST TRUST ME, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Asal Hazel - So Romantic (Out now. Soundcloud only.)
Mansur Brown - Ride (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Sankofa & August Fanon - Tap Tap Tapping (From Calm On Purpose, out on 7/15/26. Preorder: Bandcamp | Vinyl via Ampwall, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Black Milk - FIN (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Luke Titus Quintet - Currents / Squarepusher Theme (From Three Songs, out on 7/15/26. Preorder: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Children of Zeus - Weed & Rum (Out now. Purchase: Bandcamp | Qobuz, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Brigid Mae Power
Brigid Mae Power - Last Moon of June (Out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Rico Nasty - Cupcake (From RX, out on 7/24/26. Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Bandcamp New & Notable May 3, 2025
545 (D-Styles, Excess, Mike Boo, & Pryvet Peepsho) - Honey Game (Out now. Download (PWYW)/Stream: Bandcamp)
Shitao
Shitao - Territory (Remix of Maxo's "Crown Heights") (From Approaching Storm, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 29, 2026
serengeti - master splinter (From Shark Attack, out now. Purchase: Bandcamp)
Wiles Martyr - Whole Gang (Out now, YouTube only.)
Dis Fig & The Bug - Vanishing (From Ladybug 1, out now (Bandcamp), available elsewhere on 7/10. Purchase: Bandcamp | Preorder on Qobuz, Stream "Vanishing": Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Damn.O.G. - CertainlyItsMelude Starring Erykah Badu (Remix of "Certainly") (From NowThatsWhatICallOG Vol. 13, out now. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
YZBL - Patterns (From Hermaphrodite, out on 8/7/26. Preorder: Bandcamp, Stream: Tidal | Apple | YouTube Music)
Bandcamp New & Notable May 13, 2026
Ghais Guevara & Student 1 - Western Medicine! (From student1.lol/tour, out now, from the upcoming EP Academic Probation. Purchase/Stream: Bandcamp)
That'll do us for this week. Thank you for rocking with me. If you enjoyed yourself, or found anything new, please share the blog with your friends. Also, don't be afraid to tap in with me down in the comments or on the socials. Take care of yourselves out there, and as always, make good choices.
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